‘We don’t want inflation figures’: MP Caroli Omondi challenges 10-point agenda

During a 'Linda Mwananchi' press address on Wednesday, MP Omondi, who is a member of a rival ODM faction, said that the report was fraudulent since it failed to address the pertinent issues that initiated the talks between the two parties.

According to the legislator, the report ignored the high cost of living, which has remained a pressing issue promised to be streamlined in the talks.

He argued that the report opted to lightly address the issue, deliberately omitting details on how Kenyans will enjoy relief from lowered economic pressure.

"The question they ought to have answered there is whether you feel better off today than where you were 3 years ago, does your shilling buy you more today or less than it did 3 years ago? We don't want to be told the inflation has dropped from here to here," MP Omondi noted. 

Omondi questioned the criteria used to determine the compensation process of the anti-government protest victims, doubting the Ksh.2 billion that will be included in the supplementary budget.

He noted that the intent is a hoax, arguing that the matter will not be solved if the process of prosecuting justice remains unaddressed.

"Who knows how they arrived at Ksh.2 billion for the compensation of protest victims? Who knows the total number of the victims? What's about justice & accountability for the rogue police officers who killed or killed innocent protesters?" he posed.

Similar doubts were cast on the reconstitution of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), after the 2022 General Elections results were highly disputed by the opposition.

"They bragged that IEBC has been reconstituted but has IEBC inspired confidence in the people of Kenya? When there are questions on how the selection process was done, when there is suspicion of a close connection between those in IEBC and people holding high offices in government," he added.

He therefore maintained that the report was not what the late ODM leader and long-time opposition leader, Raila Odinga, fought for while signing the agenda with President William Ruto.

"There must be a people's report, not what you saw yesterday, a conspiracy of some sort," he added.

The team has released what it calls a “People’s Report” assessing the progress of the party’s 10-point agenda.

MP Omondi said the document represents a commitment that must not be manipulated for political gain, and they will remain determined to ensure Kenyans attain their verdict on the agreement's process.

“This document has Raila’s signature. We are here to ensure that political frauds are not committed in the name of Baba,” Omondi said.

Likewise, Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna said that the report was compiled through public engagement and review of records, including surveys and feedback collected through phone calls and emails, as well as scrutiny of government records and parliamentary proceedings on bills linked to the agenda.